Seven faith leaders were arrested in Vermont after a protest against an immigration targeting center turned into a blockade of the building’s entrances. The clergy members said their faith compelled them to oppose the center’s role in ICE operations, while authorities ultimately charged those arrested with unlawful trespass.
The protest targeted the National Criminal Analysis and Targeting Center in Williston, one of three major facilities that help ICE agents direct enforcement operations. The center operates inside a privately owned office building that also houses organizations unrelated to ICE.
The faith leaders began blocking entrances around 7:30 a.m. and remained there for roughly three hours, according to Religion News Service. During the demonstration, they sang, prayed, and read the names of people they said had died in ICE interactions or immigration detention.
Video shows several protesters restrained as law enforcement removed them from the property. At least two refused to walk and were physically carried away.
“I refuse to cooperate with cruelty from the center,” one woman chanted while being carried toward a vehicle.
Another repeated, “We are called to do justice, love mercy, and welcome the strangers.”
According to Vermont State Police, the building owner said the group was trespassing and asked them to leave before calling police. Several protesters eventually left voluntarily, while the seven who remained indicated they would need to be arrested.
Police said they charged the seven with unlawful trespass, processed them, and released them with citations to appear in Vermont Superior Court in Burlington on Oct. 20.
The clergy demonstration wasn’t the first protest to result in arrests at the Williston location. In July, Vermont State Police arrested 13 people after another group refused to leave the business park during a demonstration.
Organizers have also indicated in social media posts that the campaign isn’t over, calling for supporters to return to Williston for additional demonstrations in October, including further civil disobedience against ICE operations at the site.
Viewers Clash Over Faith and Civil Disobedience
The arrests sparked debate online over faith, immigration enforcement and civil disobedience.
“This is the real war on Christianity, not Starbucks cups,” one commenter wrote.
Another praised the protesters as “the type of Christians I can stand with.” Other commenters disagreed, arguing that deliberately blocking access to private property gave police a legitimate reason to arrest them.
For the seven faith leaders, the protest may be over, but both their legal cases and the larger campaign continue. They’re due in court Oct. 20, while organizers are already calling for supporters to return to Williston for another round of demonstrations.
